North Bristol NHS Trust
Associate Practitioner in Point of Care Testing
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North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust Merger
North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) have merged as of 1st July 2026 to become Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. This creates an exciting future that brings together the best of both organisations. As a single, strong and sustainable organisation, we will not only be able to deliver better outcomes for our patients and fairer care for our population, but it will also provide greater opportunities for our people.
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.
Our job adverts may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Considering this, if you are interested in this role, please do apply as soon as you can.
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Job Overview
Associate Practitioner in Point of Care Testing - AfC Band 4
An opportunity for a permanent band 4 Associate Practitioner post has arisen in the Point of Care Testing service at Southmead Hospital, Bristol.
Point of Care Testing covers a wide range of services through the trust, including
Please see this short video showcasing Pathology at NBT.
https://youtu.be/cJiNgR-TwUY?si=H6kkwCD5FvSv6UpW
Main duties of the job
Point Of Care Testing (POCT) Is The Performance Of Diagnostic Laboratory Tests Undertaken By Non-laboratory Personnel In a Near Patient Setting. The POCT Associate Practitioner Will Be Expected To Work As Part Of a Team In The Delivery Of a Flexible Service Across The Hospital And Will
- Operate, maintain and troubleshoot specialist POCT equipment, such as:
- Radiometer ABL90 Blood Gas analysers
- Nova StatStrip glucose & ketone meters
- Respiratory virus analysers e.g., Abbott ID Now or Cepheid GeneXpert
- Abbott iSTAT
- Coaguchek
- Clinitek Status urinalysis strip reader
- and many more!
- Support the day-to-day provision of the POCT services across the Trust.
- Contribute to a professional POCT service, working effectively as a team member, and maintain excellent working relationships with POCT Users across the Trust.
- Work unsupervised to ensure that all POCT devices are operational and well maintained with adequate consumable availability.
- In conjunction with the POCT team, deliver training on POCT equipment to a range of healthcare professionals.
- Work in a potentially stressful environment where work patterns may be disrupted by frequently changing, unscheduled demands, and be able to prioritise workload to the overall benefit of patients.
- Be able to work independently and manage own workload and prioritise effectively.
- Act as the first point of contact for POCT related enquiries.
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Working for our organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.
North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
For more details please refer to the attached job description and person specification for the Band 4 Associate Practitioner in Point of Care Testing.
Person specification
Education And Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Good standard of general education
- Evidence of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and ongoing training in a clinical laboratory or POCT setting
Desirable criteria
- Foundation Degree in Healthcare Science or equivalent experience
Knowledge, Skills And Abilities
Essential criteria
- Good interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal
- Understanding of quality control procedures
- Possess strong organisational skills
- Experience using full range of MS Office software including Excel and Outlook
- Technically competent in a range of laboratory and/or POCT procedures
- Ability to multitask
- Understands importance of compliance with standard operating procedures
Desirable criteria
- Ability to use, maintain and troubleshoot a variety of POCT equipment including glucose and ketone meters and blood gas analysers
Experience
Essential criteria
- Practical experience working in a routine clinical laboratory or POCT setting
- Knowledge of Health & Safety legislation and practice applicable to laboratories and/or POCT
- Knowledge of POCT equipment
- Experience of troubleshooting analysers and systems
Desirable criteria
- Experience of delivering training to other healthcare professionals
Personal qualities
Essential criteria
- Be an effective team worker
- Able to prioritise effectively
- able to show initiative
- Demonstrate a commitment to personal development
We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.
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As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.
BFT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.
If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
By applying for this post, you are agreeing to Bristol NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
Please be aware of scams – unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.
Important
Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form.
Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore, please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification
Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.
As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date.
When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.
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